What do the following two equations represent? $3x+4y = -3$ $-12x-16y = -1$
Answer: Putting the first equation in $y = mx + b$ form gives: $3x+4y = -3$ $4y = -3x-3$ $y = -\dfrac{3}{4}x - \dfrac{3}{4}$ Putting the second equation in $y = mx + b$ form gives: $-12x-16y = -1$ $-16y = 12x-1$ $y = -\dfrac{3}{4}x + \dfrac{1}{16}$ The slopes are equal, and the y-intercepts are different, so the lines are parallel.